Want to break through boundaries and work abroad? How to Launch Your Career Overseas

Have you ever dreamed of working in China? India? Brazil? The new landscape of work transcends national boundaries, which creates unprecedented opportunities to work worldwide. Here’s how you can get started.

Even if you’re no longer in school, study abroad is still an option. Consider a graduate degree or language program. The Rotary Foundation offers Ambassadorial Scholarships. ESADE andIE have international MBAs in Spain. According to Ben Apple, the Chinese government is giving out scholarships for masters’ and PhD programs “like candy.”

Teach English

Just about any native English speaker can make a living in a foreign country by teaching English.

And lucky for you, teaching can prime you for many careers. English classes can spark conversations about expectations, obligations, traditions and more. You might learn more than your students!

These intangible lessons are invaluable in a cross-cultural office. A colleague who studied in a school system where the answers could always be found in the textbook might react differently to a brainstorming meeting than someone from a more creative background. Classroom experience helps you negotiate the unspoken landscape of cross-cultural communication.

To learn more about teaching English abroad, visit Dave’s ESL Café or CIEE, which offers paid teaching positions in Chile, China, Dominican Republic, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Do an internship abroad

Dozens of organizations can help you coordinate career-launching international internships. For example, AIESEC, the world’s largest student organization, brings together go-getters from Brazil, China, Chile, India, Norway, Slovakia, the United States and more, and places graduates in internships and traineeships worldwide.

You can also coordinate your own opportunity, using your own research, connections, and savings. One aspiring public health advocate decided to volunteer with a health clinic in Mexico. She saved up cash, contacted everyone she could, and drove south with a friend. She has since studied for a master’s in public health (and married a Mexican!).

An international student from China connected with a fellow alum through a university network, traveled to Chile for a summer internship with the alum’s startup, and ended up giving some impromptu Chinese lessons.

These opportunities are within reach of any creative, resourceful and motivated careerist.

Get a job with a global organization and convince them to transfer you to an overseas branch

Natalie Tan worked in the San Francisco office of international PR agency Burson-Marsteller for a little over a year before she transferred to the company’s London office.

“I had a great study abroad experience in Paris and really enjoyed vacations outside of the U.S., so I always knew I wanted to work abroad at some point,” Natalie explains. “During my interview, I was upfront about international opportunities being a key factor in my decision.” She sought out global assignments, like coordinating press tours and analyzing global coverage.

During an early performance review, Natalie and her manager made international office transfer a long-term goal. “I really had my heart set on Europe so I focused my search in that region.” Natalie worked out of the London office for a week, alongside colleagues she’d previously met over email. She later moved to there.

After two years in London, Natalie returned to San Francisco and joined a global technology company. When wanderlust struck again, she traveled through Europe and Morocco, and is now looking for a more strategic and analytical role, ideally in the travel industry.

There are many paths to an international career, but take note of these two common threads: a global mindset and the willingness to step outside your comfort zone.

Where overseas do you dream of living and working?

To find out how Bilingual Resources Group can support your interpretation, translation and bilingual staffing needs, please call 504-253-0364 or visit http://www.bilingualcare.com.